Building construction



March 5, 1940. s. F. TAPMAN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15, 1938 INVENTOR ,farrflzellikpmazz BY l i f ATTORNEES.

March 5, 1940- s. F. TAPMAN 2,192,720

BUILDING qo'nsmucnon Filed June 15, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NVENTOR Jamaal Elk viva ATTO EYS Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel and improved form of building construction, the novel features of which will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawings, in which I have shown a selected embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a roof constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the clip shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

While the invention may be used in any part of a building where found applicable, I have for the sake of convenience shown it as embodied in a roof and therefore I shall describe the parts in relation which they bear to each other in a roof, it being understood that such relation is not intended in a limiting sense. The construction may be equally well used in a vertical wall, for example.

In the drawings I have shown two adjacent corrugated sheets I and 2 of a roof supported upon purlins 3, these purlins being taken as examples of stringers adapted to support any wall or roof. The adjacent edge portions of the two sheets will normally be parallel to each other, as usual, and are shown as being spanned by a cap 4 of sheet material.

When fastening sheets to stringers, and more particularly in fastening corrugated sheets, trouble has been experienced because of the fact that the sheets are apt to buckle when the clamping or fastening means is tightened. Such action, however, is avoided by the construction which I have devised and which will now be more fully described.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, it will be seen that the sheets l and 2 have their edge portions provided with horizontally extending seats 5 which rest upon the stringers and therefore are in approximately a common plane. Between the seats and their edges the edge portion of each sheet is preferably bent upwardly away from the stringer, as indicated at 6, and then bent back to form a fold, as shown at l. The cap 4 has its body 8 approximately parallel to the plane in which the seats 5 rest, and extending downwardly from the body 8 are two side walls 9 which are The walls 9 are preferably spaced from the folds 8 and a clip II is provided for clamping the cap and sheets against the stringer. This clip, as best shown in Fig. 6, may be formed of one piece of sheet material and comprises a body l2 having feet l3 formed by bending the sheet material at approximately right angles to the body. Part of the material-of the body is cut out between the feet IS leaving tongues M which may be bent downwardly between the feet l3, as plainly shown, thus forming spacers between adjacent edges of the sheets I and 2. The body l2 may be provided with square holes l5 to receive the squared necks l6 of bolts H. In Figs. 2 and 3 the body l2 of the clip is long enough to span a stringer 3 which, for the sake of illustration, is shown as of a conventional channel form, and the bolts [1 are of such length that they may pass through holes in a plate l8 engaging the bottom of the stringer. The clip may then be clamped in place by means of nuts l9 threaded on the bolts, and it will be seen that when the bolts are tightened, the feet 13 will force the bearings Ill securely against the seats 5, and the seats 5 in turn will be forced firmly against the top of the stringer. At the same time the tongues M will form spacers to properly space apart the folded edges of the sheets I and 2.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown therein a shorter clip 20 which may be used between stringers, as shown for example in Fig. 1. This clip is of the same general form as that previously described except that it may be shorter, and is shown as not having any spacers such as the previously described tongues I4, although such spacers may be provided if desired. Ordinarily, however, if spacers are provided at the stringers, that will be sufiicient and the clips 20 may be of some such relative length as shown in Fig. 5 and may be secured in place by a single short bolt 2|. The clip 20 is provided with feet 22 corresponding to the feet I3 of the larger clip, and cooperating with the clip and bolt is a plate 23 engaging beneath the sheets i and 2. Thus when the bolt 2| is tightened, it will be seen that here, as in the case of the larger clips, the bearings are securely clamped against the seats of the adjacent sheets.

By the above arrangement it will be seen that the binding pressure of the clip is exerted at substantially right angles to the plane of the seats, which seats in turn bear against the stringers. This is because of the construction of the clip whose feet are arranged substantially parallel to the bolts and at right angles to the seats formed on the sheets and to the bearings on the cap which contact with those seats. Another advantage of the construction is that it is rainproof and leak-proof. It will be seen that before any moisture can pass through the joint formed between the cap and the sheets, it must Work between the bearings and the seats and upwardly within the folds 1. Even if any moisture should get this far, it will then merely flow back within the cap, and the cap is so formed as to provide a channel down which the moisture will run instead of passing to the other side of the sheet. At the same time the construction is such that it is substantially wind-proof because of the rigid tying together of the stringers and the sheets through the intermediary of the cap and clip.

While I have shown the invention as embodied in a specific form, it is to be understood that various changes in details may be made without .departing from the scope of the invention, as

defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In building construction, a clip formed of a single piece of sheet material and having a body,

. and feet extending approximately perpendicular to said body at opposite edges thereof, the material of the body being cut away adjacent opposite ends thereof between said feet to form tongues and said tongues being bent downwardly l between said feet to form spacers.

2. In building construction, two corrugated sheets having edge portions adjacent each other, said edge portions having substantially flat seats disposed in substantially a common plane and being bent upwardly between said seats and the adjacent edges of the sheets and then bent back above said seats to form a fold, a cap spanning said edge portions and having side walls disposed approximately perpendicular to said seats, said side walls having inwardly extending bearings resting'against said seats and having portions extending upwardly Within said folds, said side walls being spaced from said folds, a clip disposed within the cap and having a body disposed between the cap and said folds and generally parallel to said plane of the seats and also having feet extending between said folds and the adjacent side walls of said cap and contacting with said bearings of the cap, and means cooperating with said clip to clamp said bearings against said seats.

3. In building construction, two corrugated sheets having edge portions adjacent each other, said edge portions having substantially flat seats disposed in substantially a common plane and being bent upwardly between said seats and the adjacent edges of the sheets, a cap spanning said edge portions and having side walls disposed approximately perpendicular to said seats, said side walls having inwardly extending bearings resting against said seats and having portions extending upwardly, said side walls being spaced from the edges of said sheets, a clip disposed within the cap and having a body disposed between the cap and said edges and generally parallel to said plane of the seats and also having feet extending between said edges and the adjacent side walls of said cap and contacting with said bearings of the cap, and means cooperating with said clip to clamp said bearings against said seats.

SAMUEL F. TAPMAN. 

